3 failed IVF attempts, what’s next?

39

NINA

Hello! I’m 41 and currently on my 2ww to find out the result of my 3rd attempt with ivf using donor eggs. I went through failure twice… all my hopes are here now but i’m afraid it failed again as i’m not feeling any extraordinary symptom. Let me give you some background:

2010, i had a chemical pregnancy at age 36 with 1000 mIU/ml 2011, i got pregnant naturally… we were able to see the sac but the embryo stopped developing at some point and i miscarried at week 7 oct 2012, i was diagnosed with mild endometriosis jan 2013, laparoscopy, treatment of cystadenoma (found on left ovary) with normal results after followups… also diagnosed with retroverted uterus. 2013, 3 failed ivf attempts with ovulation induction+1 natural cycle ivf which failed again…. 1 egg collected on average with a maximum of 2 fertilized & transferred eggs. Got a bfn anyways…. normal embryo quality with normal hormonal exams. 2015, low amh levels. first DE-ivf attempt (actually my 5th ivf cycle) with 2 day3 embryo transfer (1 with own eggs + one with DE)… grade I and II embryos but bfn… i got 5d3 embryos frozen 2015, 2nd attempt with de-ivf… 2 embryos thawed, with 2 embryo transfer, bfn. now, 3rd de-ivf with 2 blastocysts… yesterday hcg test was <1.2 mIU/ml and progesterone was 67.50 ng/ml

this said, my question is... why my embryos do not develop or attach? is it because of a mistake during the procedure? why i was able to get pregnant naturally but ivf has always been unsuccessful for me? any tip to enhance my chances of pregnancy with donor egg? i still have 1 frozen embryo remaining, don't know what to do though. Thanks for your help!

If after so many IVF attempts with own eggs and donor eggs you haven’t achieved a successful pregnancy yet, we may suspect that there exists some kind of immunological or blood clotting problem that prevents embryo implantation.

My advice is that you ask your OB/GYN for the possibility of being tested for immunological and blood clotting problems (thrombophilia).

As regards the natural pregnancy you were able to achieve and led to miscarriage, if you could see the sac with no embryo inside it is likely that it was an anembryonic pregnancy, which normally occurs when the embryo has developed some kind of genetic abnormality.

With donor eggs, the chances for the embryo to have a genetic abnormality are almost non-existent. The problem, thus, might lie in your endometrial lining and/or the response of your body to the embryo implantation process or the pregnancy itself.

Have you considered using a surrogate? Recurrent IVF failure is an indication for surrogacy, although it is not a decision that can be made hastily.

Probably everyone’s piece of advice will differ. Some will say you could look onto donor eggs. Others you may give it another try. Of course all your outcomes should be well investigated by dr. But very often it happens so even a dr has no accurate answer on why ivf fails. This is quite a drama though. ’cause we cannot count on predictions much, and there’s always a possibility of the failure. I’m sorry you’ve gone through this. I know how hard and heartbraking it can be, as been through ivf cycles myself. Here’s some of my background. All my friends got prego in a quick succession. Almost all of them have 2+ kids now when I’m hardly after de ivf with my#1!! But the most destroying thing for me was once being asked by the friend whether she’d better do abortion ’cause her relationship was unstable..I was going insane people were so lucky to fall prego and not wanting to carry a little one! How could this ever be?? I’m sharing my story with you. I’m 39 yrs old. Had 2 cycles ivf with ex. He had low sperm quality. My right ovary never responded to treatments. My last AMH came in 3%. Besides weight 12 stone 7 lbs wasn’t the best to go further with. We went abroad for donor egg cycle once said own eggs were not likely going to work at all. And here’s what we got with the cycles. Our previous 2 — 2 of embies were rated high but neither of them stuck. With my last de transfer#1 we got B grade 2 5day blasts and got prego. The toughest thing is though you never know what to expect with treatments. Noone can rule over things. I’m praying you find your heart peace soon and keep on with going for another try. Blessings.

I am so sorry to hear about your failed cycles. I do understand that this can be a really hard time to go through. My honest advice to you would be to get a second opinion on this. My cousin went through the same problem! She had 4 failed IVF cycles however, she then decided to visit another doctor. Things improved significantly although the first cycle failed the second one did work out. Sending baby dust your way. I am hoping things will get better.

I totally agree with Monikaa! Sometimes it’s extremely useful to ask for another dr’s opinion. Of course there might be two sides of the coin. One the one hand, if two views just coincide – this makes it obvious that you’re on the right path. On the other hand, if those views are different you might feel at loss not knowing what to do further. So that you’ll probably need to listen to sb’s else. But anyway, gathering all those points of view is helpful in the way you don’t stop. You continue to seek for the options. You try all the possible methods to gain success. And this part of the journey is very important!! As it guides you from the dead point to some other step making your dream come true. You know it’s always easier to advice, or sth. Everyone has his own path. The point is never give up, no matter how hard it all could be.

A failed IVF cycle can unleash an overwhelming torrent of emotions. Going into the cycle, you felt anticipation and building excitement, hoping this will be when your family starts, and worry at the same time. And when a cycle fails, you and your partner may feel grief and even anger. Chances are the failure is not due to anything you could control. Your fertility specialist will explain what may have happened and what you can do next. Here are some common reasons why an IVF cycle fails: Embryo quality. Age of the eggs. Ovarian response. Chromosomal issues. Lifestyle factors. One of the major factors in IVF failure though is chromosomal abnormalities in the embryo. This is true for all human embryos, whether naturally conceived or developed in the embryology lab. These abnormalities are the reason behind most miscarriages as well as failure to implant in an IVF cycle. If the former writer has already tried OE and DE with no luck, then probably it’s time to went down another route – surrogacy.

I’m sorry to hear about all your strugglings. I’m 39 yrs old. Had 2 cycles ivf with ex. He had low sperm quality. My right ovary never responded to treatments. My last AMH came in 3%. Besides weight 12 stone 7 lbs wasn’t the best to go further with. We went abroad for donor egg cycle once said own eggs were not likely going to work at all. And here’s what we got with the cycles. Our previous 2 — 2 of embies were rated high but neither of them stuck. With my last de transfer#1 we got B grade 2 5day blasts and got prego. The toughest thing is though you never know what to expect with treatments. No one can rule over thingsI’ve also shared a lot of info on infertility on different threads. And this pains so much such a huge number of us are dealing with infertility. I hope things will soon get well for you. Do have faith always!!

I’m sorry you’ve faced all this. After all those failed IVF rounds it’s more likely you’ll need third part help. I mean the surrogate who’ll carry the baby for you. If I took it right, you’ve already tried with both own and donor egg. and got no luck. So probably the problem is not in the embryo quality. The problem’s in the lining or some other factor. Anyway, you shouldn’t blame yourself. Too often even a Dr cannot state the accurate reason why IVF shot fails. You may get many healthy eggs. Perfect swimmers. You may get just the appropriate medications dosage. You may have just pefect treatment protocol. and finally fail for no stated reason. It happens ’cause not everything depends on us. and there are so many things we cannot rule over. IVF is like a gamble though. It’s always better to look for some ”guaranteed” plans. At least those cover you from the money loss. My advice also is to look onto surrogacy as the option. Wishing you the best.